Twist and Turns of Fate
by DeathWriter97
Summary: Marinette has the night off and is determined to catch up on some design work. But fate has other plans. Plans that involve a certain Kitty and a runway walk. (Slight Marichat One-shot)


_"Our lives are made_  
 _In these small hours_  
 _These little wonders,_  
 _These twists & turns of fate_  
 _Time falls away,_  
 _But these small hours,_  
 _These small hours still remain" - Rob Thomas_

Marinette was enjoying a rare occurrence. Her homework was finished. It was Chat Noir's turn to patrol. The bakery was closed for the night. Her civilian duties and her Ladybug duties were all wrapped up.

Unless, Hawkmoth akumatized someone again.

But no, Marinette shook those thoughts from her head. She had a peaceful moment for once and she was going to enjoy it. She could catch up on her reading. Or work on her designs. Or she could even finish sewing a piece she'd been working on for weeks.

She decided that was exactly what she was going to do. She had a men's blazer that was almost done. It just needed a few pockets added and a little bit of stitching done.

It was a beautiful blazer. It was one of the few men's designs that had turned out the way she wanted it to. It was unfortunate that there was no one to model it for her.

She'd made it to fit Adrien (his measurements were mentioned on his father's website; she didn't do anything stalker-ish . . . this time). He was the one she pictured in the blazer. And she felt it would suit him best.

The dark color would contrast nicely with his blond hair. The shape would fit snugly on his toned form, but not too tight. Just enough so you could see how fit he really was. And the stitching was the perfect shade of green. It matched his eyes completely.

But she could never muster up enough courage to speak with him, let alone ask him to wear her design.

She cringed at the very thought. He wore his father's designs. And only the Gabriel Agreste's line (with the bowler hat competition as one of the few exceptions). How could she, a mere novice, ask him to wear anything of hers?

No, she'd finish the design, admire it on her dummy for a few days, and then stick it in the back of her closet. That'd be better than the embarrassment she was sure to face.

She had almost finished sewing on one of the pockets when she heard a tap coming from the window. She glanced at Tikki. The red, bug-like kwami was fast asleep on the desk. With a warm smile, Marinette covered her up with random scraps of fabric. Maybe that'd keep her concealed.

Marinette took her time getting up into her loft bed. The tapping resumed at a rather rapid pace, but she didn't change hers any. Upon reaching the bed, she gazed up at the window.

Behind the glass pane stood a familiar kitten. His sharp claws were scratching at the window, now. His ears were pointing skywards, twitching ever so slightly. His brilliant green eyes refused to leave the clouds that were growing increasingly dark.

Marinette opened the window. She didn't even bother hiding her amusement. "What's wrong, Chat? Afraid of a little rain?"

Chat Noir slid through the instant the invitation was given. Rain began to slam against the glass as soon as the window was shut. "Not afraid, Princess. Just thought it'd be the perfect excuse to visit you." Chat gave her a wink.

She rolled her eyes and made her way back down the ladder. "I thought you didn't need an excuse, Kitty. Isn't that what you said last time?"

Because this wasn't the first time he'd landed on her balcony. This hadn't been the first time he followed her down to her workspace. And it wasn't likely to be the last.

Chat had been unusually quiet on the walk down. Marinette was tempted to ask him if the cat had caught his tongue, but she refused to satisfy his pun-problem. She was going to ask him if everything was fine. She turned around, but her words never left her lips.

She caught him staring at her newly bare walls. His looked strangely crestfallen. But only for a moment, until he realized he was being watched. She witnessed him change his expression into one of mirth, "The Agreste model isn't joining us, tonight? What happened to your, what did you call it, 'design inspiration'?"

She turned around quickly, hoping to hide her blush. Her fingers twitched as they picked up the blazer. "You can relax, Kitty. My inspiration hasn't been lost," She sat down, her chair facing Chat, but she didn't dare look at him yet. She was doing all she could to remain impassive. One look at him could change that. "If you really want to see his face so badly, I can always pull him out."

She glanced up at him, then. He was back to staring at the walls. A small frown marred his usually jovial expression. It made no sense to Marinette.

He was the whole reason she took the posters down in the first place. As soon as he had spotted them last time, he mentioned it. And teased her endlessly afterwards. Even after she gave him an admittedly half-baked excuse (designing purposes weren't that far of a stretch . . . right?). She'd hoped he'd forgotten about them.

He turned to her suddenly. The falling silence must have broken through his thoughts. "Really?" his lips curled up in amusement. "Do you have the teen model stashed in your closet? Princess, we really need to discuss what proper behavior is for a young lady."

"Says the stray cat who wandered in to the young lady's room," Marinette went back to sewing with a chuckle. "Careful, before I put you in the closet with him."

"Meow-ch! That hurts, Princess," She spared him a glance. He held his hand to his chest as if she had struck him in the heart. She quickly turned her attention back to her work. A fond smile played on her lips.

While she was sewing on another pocket, the cat hero crept up behind her. She did her best not to jump when his hands appeared on the back of her chair. The posters were long forgotten it seemed (fortunately).

Unfortunately, Kitty didn't seem to know what personal space was.

His hair tickled her cheek. Every breath he took, she was aware of it. His heartbeat pounded in her head as hers did in her chest. The beats intertwined, until she could no longer tell them apart. Their hearts beat as one.

She wondered how he didn't notice. Their bodies reacted to each other instinctively. They were partners; with or without the mask. Everything they did was in sync.  
It was a little startling. Even after Tikki had explained that it was natural for Miraculous users. They were both chosen for a reason. They were soul-mates.

Marinette accepted that without a second thought. There was no other explanation for why the two of them worked so seamlessly. Even when they barely knew each other, it felt like they'd been together forever. They were forever.

That much she was sure of. No matter what happened or what they became, they'd stick together. That's what soul-mates did. They stayed; they moved together. They got in each others' personal space when they were trying to sew a stinkin' pocket on a blazer.

It was pretty miraculous that they hadn't discovered each others' identities yet. Marinette wouldn't deny that she was curious. And she knew for a fact that the nosy kitty was, too. It was better to leave it to fate, she decided.

Besides, fate had been kind enough to drop him into her life.

"Is this the blazer you've been working on?" Awe dripped from his words. And blood rushed to Marinette's face.

She grinned, hoping to hide the blush, "Yep, and it's almost finished."

"It's coming along nicely," there was a hint of longing in his voice. "You find a model for it, yet?"

Marinette scoffed. "Well, it's so hard to find the right one, you know? Especially when there are so many young models just dying to wear my designs."

She twisted so Chat could see her eye roll. But he simply grinned at her, undeterred. "As it should be! But you're right; we can't have just anyone wearing the Marinette brand. No, they must be perfect."

"Oh?" she giggled as he moved to stand in front of her. She regrettably missed having him in close proximity. Stupid Miraculous instincts.

"Of course," Chat began to list off the needed characteristics of the imaginary model using his fingers. "First, they must be aesthetically beautiful; naturally. Secondly, they must be comfortable with cameras; and lights; and people with cameras and lights; and questions." He shuddered. Marinette shared the sentiment, silently. They both dealt with their fair share of reporters - being famous superheroes and all.

"That's all very nice, but -" Chat interrupted her.

"Wait, Princess. I wasn't done, yet," she motioned for him to continue. He gave a small bow. "Thank you. Now, the third thing they must absolutely have is The Walk."

"The Walk?" The blazer was then abandoned. Marinette set it aside, pulling her feet up in her chair. She rested her head on her knees. Chat had her full attention (which is all he ever seemed to want).

He stood straighter, then. His eyes shone like a kid's in a candy store. Or (maybe more aptly) like a kitten on catnip. "Yeah, you know, The Walk."

He proceeded to strut across the room. He struck a pose every time he paused in front of her. And ended his modeling with a wink and finger guns. All pointed directly at her.

It had all been so flirty, so confident, so . . . so Chat. She guffawed rather loudly, causing him to jump and herself to fall off the chair. Soon, though, they were both on the floor snickering.

"I'm not sure anyone can pull that off," she giggled. "Besides you, of course."

"I know; I'm paw-some!" He wiggled his ears and grinned.

"But you did miss a few necessary qualities, Kitty,"

"What have I missed, Princess?" he sat upright. His bright green eyes bore into her soul. He was unusually interested, considering they were just joking around.

"Well, they should be kind and considerate, I think," maybe it was because they were just kidding that she could give him an honest response. "They should feel free to share their own thoughts and ideas. But still be respectful about it."

"You're thought a lot about this," Chat gave her a small smile; the strangest of expressions on his face.

She had spent an ample amount of time with the cat hero (while wearing a mask, of course). Because of this, she had seen several of his facial expressions. She could usually tell what he was thinking with just one look.

But this one had her stumped. It wasn't one she'd ever seen before. And it definitely had never been directed at her civilian form.

"I-I mean, that just the kind of people I'd like to work with," She nervously scratched the back of her head. She'd have to file that expression away for another day.

"Hmm, makes sense," He mused before giving her a grin she knew all too well. "Of course, I know how to get hired as your model?"

"Oh?" she giggled anxiously. Her curiosity warred with her concern. Concern started to win as the cat's grin merely grew.

Until he 'got serious', that is. He wiped the grin off his face, but amusement still danced in his eyes. He cleared his throat. "Hi, I'm Adrien Agreste." He deepened his voice, unnecessarily.

Then, he completed the act with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

She couldn't help it; she guffawed again. She was pretty sure that was his intention in the first place. "He doesn't sound anything like that!"

"Let's get him out of your closet and see," Chat joked, earning him a shoulder punch. "Meow-ch, Princess."

"Funny," she rolled her eyes. She was calm again - well, as calm as she could get around him and his puns. "And it will take more than that to be my model."

"I'm sensing a challenge here," Chat's ears perked up. His tail twitched excitedly on the floor. "Very well, Princess. Your knight shall leave you paws-itivly impressed."

"What?"

"I'm going to show you that I'm the purr-fect model for you," he stated so assuredly. "Un-fur-tunately, we'll have to shave it for next time."

Marinette dazedly looked at the clock, his words only half registering in her brain (the puns must've been causing her to short circuit). "You have to go, already?" The disappointment she heard in her own voice surprised her.

"Fear not, Princess, I shall return," the expression from earlier was back. He stood up, reaching for her hand as he did so. He pressed it to his lips, closing his eyes. "Until next time."

Then, he disappeared up into her loft bed.

She remained glued to the floor. Her mind still trying to process what had just happened. Tikki chose this moment to come out of her hiding spot.

"He seemed to really love your design, Marinette. Why didn't you just let him try it on?"

Marinette threw her hands up in frustration, "I didn't even know that's what he wanted. I thought he was playing around." She groaned. "Crazy Cat."

"He also seemed to be very concerned with your Adrien posters, still," Tikki giggled. The last time Chat visited (and teased Marinette to distraction over them), Tikki had formed a theory. One that her chosen refused to believe.

"He's not jealous," she scoffed. "The only way he'd be jealous is if he had a crush on me. And the only person Chat Noir crushes on is Ladybug. So, unless he knows that I am her - which I highly doubt - he has absolutely no reason to be jealous." Then, she muttered, "Besides, he hardly even knows me as Marinette."

"Hmm, true," Tikki mused. "But maybe he does know you in his civilian life. Even if he doesn't, yet, his instincts draw him to you."

"True," It was still kind of strange that they naturally would fall together at some point. Even stranger that they might have already.

"Which is also why he could fall for both sides of you,"

"Tikki," Marinette groaned. "He's not - we're not -we're just friends!" Which was crazy to say.

She never thought she'd be friends with her superhero partner whilst she was just her. Sure, they were close as heroes. But why did he want to befriend plain Marinette.

He had given her quite the fright the first time he showed up. She was sure she'd been caught. It didn't take long to figure out that he knew nothing of her other identity.

She wanted to throw him out, then. If he stayed, she might mess up and let something slip. But as the night waned, she thought it'd be more obvious if she attempted to kick him to the curb.

Besides, she liked her kitty. She wouldn't mind getting to know him a little better. But maybe she didn't know exactly what she was getting into.

 **A/N: Hi, thank you for taking the time to read this! I hope you enjoyed it. This is currently just a one-shot. I may make it a two-shot or something, but I have nothing planned for it right now. I mostly wanted to get a feel for the characters before delving into a bigger project I'm mulling over for ML. Thanks for reading!**


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